Violin.



F. M. MECARTEA- VlOLIN.

APPLICATION mm JULYIS, 1914.

1-, 14Q,697. Patent-ed May 25, .1915.

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FRANCIS M. MECAR'IEA,

OF SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TO MILTON L. LAWRENCE, OF LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA.

VIOLIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1915.

Application filed July 15, 1914. Serial No. 851,159.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. MECARTEA, a citizen of the United States, and resident of San Juan Bautista, in the county of San Benito and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Violins; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the finger-board and nut of a violin, and the objects of my invention are, first, to increase the volume of sound produced by a violin; second, to increase the carrying power of a violin; third, to produce an improved finger-board and nut that can be attached to any violin, increasing the sensitiveness of the instrument and thus greatly enhancing its value.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved violin, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the finger-board and nut of my improved violin. Fig. 3 is a section on line A-A of Fig. 2, parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the nut of my improved violin.

In the accompanying drawings similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 indicates the body of a violin, 2 refers to the neck of the same, and 3 the box fitted with pegs l in the usual manner, the strings not being shown. The finger-board is indicated by the numeral 5 and the nut by the numeral 6. The under side of the fingerboard of my improved violin is cut away as shown at 7 to a point near said neck 2 leaving said finger-board 5 comparatively thick at this point as shown at 8, and comparatively thin at its free end as shown at 9.

The edges of the free end of said fingerboard 5 are also reduced to comparative thinness as shown at 10, said edges increasing in thickness back to point 8. A continuous undercut channel is shown at 11. In cutting away the under side of said fingerboard 5 the-same is preferably cut thin along the median line and increased in thickness toward both sides. A channel 12 is also cut in the under side of said finger-board 5, extending from a point 13 near nut 6 to a point a distance past the juncture of said neck 2 and said finger-board 5 as shown at 14:, the line of juncture of said finger-board 5 and said neck 2 being shown at 14 A hole 15 is bored through the end of said fingerboard 5 registering with and connecting said channel 12 to a hole 16 bored in nut 6. A hole 17 is bored into nut 6, along the longer axis thereof, the opening of said bore being closed with a plug as 18. Bore 15 and bore 16 form an open communication between said bore 17 and said channel 12.

It is understood that while the improvement has been described in a simple form, the arrangement, number, and character of the various formations cut in the under side of said finger-board and in said nut may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention as, for instance a plurality of channels as shown at 12 may be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. A violin finger-board having the under side of its overhanging end hollowed out and having an undercut channel formed in the edge of said hollowed-out portion and one or more longitudinal channels formed in the under side of the fixed end of said fingerboard having open communication with the atmosphere, substantially as shown and described.

2. A violin finger-board having the under side of its overhanging end hollowed out and one or more longitudinal channels formed in the under side of the fixed end of said finger-board having open communiaffixed my signature in presence of two subcatlon With the atmosphere, and a nut havscribing Witnesses.

ing a longitudinal bore therein closed at both ends and having open communication with FRANCIS MECARTEA' 5 said channel or channels in said finger- Vitnesses:

board, substantially as shown and described. J 0m: A. 'NAIsMI'rH,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto L. I. JoNEs.

C'opies of this patent may be obtained for five'cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

*Washington, -D.- 0; 

